


The Lab Cat

by KaijuDork



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Animal abuse (abusers do not feature), Fluff, Kittens, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-11
Updated: 2013-11-11
Packaged: 2018-01-01 03:20:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1039737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaijuDork/pseuds/KaijuDork
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Newton returns from the city with no food and a mewling box; He's brought home a stray kitten, and is giving Hermann the job of naming her. At least it's not a spider this time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Lab Cat

**Author's Note:**

> RE: Abuse -- The abusers do not feature, nor is the kitten in danger at any point during the narrative apart from Newt's vague description of events
> 
> May do more kitten!fic in the future? Let me know if that's a good or a bad idea~

Hermann glanced at his watch as he heard the lab door open behind him. Twelve o’clock. With an exasperated sigh he turned away from his equations to see Newton pushing the door closed behind him with his ass, as his hands were otherwise occupied with a large cardboard box.

 

“You are several hours late. Where the hell  were you, and what on _Earth_ have you brought into this laboratory this time? You are now behind schedule which will in turn set my own work back. We have spoken about this befo-”

 

“Hermann, shut up,” Newton puffed as he set the box gently onto one of the cleaner workspaces on his side of the lab, using the box itself to shove equipment and papers aside to make room. “Please, I do not need to hear another lecture right now. Besides, the world isn’t ending anymore.”

 

“The least you can do is grace me with an explanation,” Hermann said, eyeing the box suspiciously. More often than not, Newton’s finds and purchases were volatile and had caused multiple accidents in the past.

 

And then it mewled.

 

Hermann stared in shock as Newton reached in and lifted out a small blue-grey kitten. He cradled it in his arms and tickled its belly as he crossed the lab. It had some visible cuts and one of its legs was wrapped in a bandage.

 

“Meet… well, she doesn’t have a name yet. We can work on that, though. I found her on the streets when I went to get stuff to bring in for lunch this morning. Some kids were kicking her around, and she was covered in dirt and obviously didn’t have a home because she’s real skinny. I couldn’t just leave her there to be kicked to death by some kids. They were just big bullies, weren’t they?” he said to the kitten, leaning down and kissing her head. “Big mean bullies picking on someone that couldn’t fight back.”

 

“Does the Marshal know about this?” Hermann asked, feeling rather baffled. Newton nodded.

 

“Yeah, he’s ok with it as long as we keep her down here.”

 

“You took her to get veterinary care, I see,” he observed.

 

“I could’ve patched her up myself, but i figured she should get x-rayed and stuff,” Newton shrugged. “She probably shouldn’t even be alive right now after the kicking she got; guess she was lucky. The vet gave me some stuff to feed her on too. So, uh. Yeah. That’s where I was. I didn’t get lunch though, so we’ll have to go to the mess hall today. She’s cute though, right?”

 

Hermann watched the kitten for a few moments as she purred happily before reaching forward to scratch underneath her chin. He smiled, and Newton grinned at him.

 

“Yeah, I knew you were a cat person. So since this is our first official mammalian pet-”

 

“We’ve never had a pet at all, let alone a mammal.”

 

“What about Arnold?”

 

“That spider did not count as a pet in any way, shape or form.”

 

“If he were alive he would be insulted and would leave dead flies on your face for a fortnight, Hermann.”

 

“Please continue what you were going to say before I hit you.”

 

“I hope Arnold’s spidery ghost haunts you for eternity. As I was saying, since she’s gonna be _our_ pet, uh… d’you wanna name her? Or put forward some ideas or something, y’know, whatever.”

 

“I’ll mull it over for a while,” Hermann said uncertainly, “But I can’t promise I’ll come up with something.”

 

“Neat! Okay, cool. Yeah. Do you wanna hold her for a while? You’re probably ahead of schedule and I _really_ don’t wanna drop her into a Kaiju’s kidney,” he said, handing the kitten over without waiting for a reply. He stood on his toes and left a quick kiss on Hermann’s cheekbone before bounding off to his preparation table where the specimen had been sitting - and smelling - for several hours.

 

Hermann decided that paperwork was the best course of action and sat himself down at his desk, allowing the little feline to settle herself comfortably in his lap. She was surprisingly friendly for a homeless cat - grateful, perhaps. Either way, he could already feel himself growing very fond of her presence. Every once in a while they would feed her the formula the vet had supplied, and took turns caring for her so that they could both get on with their more practical work. The time slipped by as it often did until the clock read 9 pm, and their official shift ended. Hermann could hear Newton sealing jars and tanks in preparation for leaving.

 

“C’mon lil kitty, we’ll get you settled in the room,” Newton said quietly as he lifted the pile of woollen blankets that the kitten was nestled into on the desk beside Hermann’s boards. “You coming, Herm?”

 

“I’d like to finish this off before I close up for the night,” he replied with a shake of his head. “I’ll be along shortly.”

 

“Okay. Where d’you want me to set up her little blanket fort?” he said, nodding to the tiny furball.

 

“By the bed, for the time being.”

 

“Gotcha! I’ll probably be sleeping by the time you get back,” Newton said as he adjusted his hold on the blanket pile. The kitten shifted in her sleep slightly.

 

“Shame,” Hermann said with a smirk.

 

“Then again...” Newton grinned impishly as he turned to leave. “Hurry that ass of yours up, Gottlieb.”

 

Hermann laughed slightly and moved to return his attention to his equations before it occurred to him that he hadn’t suggested the name he had thought of. He called out to Newton just as the other man was about to exit the room. Newton spun on his heel to face him with a quizzical look.

 

“What do you think of Schrodinger? For her name,” he explained as the confusion in his face had deepened. It lit up instantly however, and Newton looked down at the kitten for a few seconds before nodding enthusiastically.

 

“Perfect! Schrodinger the impossible kitty. I love it,” he beamed, stepping backwards over the threshold of the room. “Schrodie and I’ll see you in a bit!”

  
“Good God, I’ve changed my mind if you’re going to call her that.”

**Author's Note:**

> -Schrodie's appearance is similar to a 'Russian Blue' (possibly half breed). They are very beautiful kitties and you should look them up like right now. Go. 
> 
> -Loosely based on the story of a kitten my grandmother rescued from a group of idiots in the street, once. Except he doesn't have a cool name like Schrodinger. 
> 
> -Arnold was a rockstar that Newton often saw on his ceiling and decided to name. Hermann totally did not squish him without realising that he did so.


End file.
